Segue Cafe - meet up with friends to chat about whatever strikes your fancy

You must have better search sources!!! Back then it was the hype about these boys with long hair. It’s still on Viki :heart_eyes:

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Hwarang not available to watch in my region.:slightly_frowning_face:
Minho’s hairstyle is so flattering in the KBS Interview/Promotion clip. He looks really good there IMO.

The more I investigate on the fan culture of K Pop, the more concerned I am for everyone in this industry, including the fans themselves. I saw this informative YT video on Parasocial Interaction in K Pop.

I now have a better understanding of why there are issues with some fans’ behaviors. The entertainment companies have a lot to answer for, IMO. They will do whatever it takes to monetize the fans. The emotional manipulation is…just, wow. Hopefully, with more fans making videos like this and increasing awareness of the issues surrounding parasocial interactions, there can be some positive changes for the Korean entertainment industry in their parasocial interactions policies that will help both fans and K Pop stars lead more stable lives.

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That was a very thought-provoking video, and I’ve been thinking about the same things.

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Woosung has a beautiful voice and The Rose have some amazing songs. Since you made him our barista today you should listen to a couple. From The Rose I’d recommend Red, Sorry, Baby, She’s In the Rain, actually just go to their utbe and listen to all their MVs.
The Rose - YouTube

I’m not quite sure what this is (not the song, I know that) but this is just too funny.

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This song always gets me feeling mellow and comfortable.

Oh, btw, I was just watching MMTG’s episode with Baekhyun… I really couldn’t NOT blush when he described how and where you’re supposed to listen to “Bambi” :joy::sweat_smile: His aesthetic sense is terribly good… and he wants the entire fandom to know he is THIRTY YEARS OLD and not the baby most BBH-ls think he is. You can hear the female staff reacting in the back too! :joy: I put a marker for where he starts describing it, but the whole video is informative and lots of fun. I don’t baby him, but HOW COULD HE DO THAT WITH THAT SWEET, INNOCENT FACE?! :sob::sob::sob:

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I’m a really bad fan, I actually hate Bambi, I like the music, but I hate the way he pronounces Bambi, if he’d used a different name I’d probably love the song, but I honestly can’t listen to it.
I love that EXO is growing up, and has been moving away from their young image, who wants them to be kids forever?

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That video was a really great introduction to that band! Now, no matter what I learn about them in my research, I am always going to remember that they made me laugh in a really fun way, so just thinking about them in the future will probably put a smile on my face. :blush:

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They have one more using the toy instruments, it’s so funny, Dojoon & Hajoon just about loosing it from time to time, Jaehyeong trying to keep the drums from getting away because Hajoon is playing too hard. :rofl:


The MV is way better, but the other one has a certain appeal. lol
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Yes, it is very thought provoking. The video stated that the main ages for the fandoms are 13-25 yrs and that the companies are targeting this age range with the parasocial interactions. I find that very disturbing how they are targeting those young people and encouraging obsessive behaviors in order to increase profit without thought to the psychological damage they are inflicting on those younger fans and on the K Pop Stars too, who have to “play the game”. It was heartbreaking for me to read some of the comments from these younger fans in the comments section of the video. Some of the things the agencies are doing scared me, especially the “boyfriend calls”. I guess this is why the companies don’t want to prosecute the saesang fans and just accept an apology since a full investigation might reveal how the companies are actively encouraging obsessive behaviors that can get out of hand with some people. Not to mention the physical danger these Kpop Stars are put in. (How can agencies say they “take care” of their artists when they are creating an atmosphere like this?) I feel like agencies are partially responsible for when these crazy things happen. I hope agencies will realize that they do not have to go to some of the extreme measures with parasocial interactions in order to make money and can create a mentally safer environment for everyone.

I do wonder how things will play out now that the K Pop Groups are staying active longer and longer instead of disbanding. Obviously, these K Pop Stars are going to want more control over their personal lives the older they get. Perhaps they will be the ones to make positive and lasting changes in the industry.

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I love it so much! I couldn’t stop laughing. Too funny that he had to keep pulling his drums back to him, and then got some help from his bandmate, and I died at the end when the mic stand and guitar got thrown. :rofl:

Edit: I watched the ‘real’ MV and decided I really like that song. They had some really great location shots in the video - very visually attractive, but it turned into another video that triggered my motion sickness. Why must they do that to me? :nauseated_face::woozy_face:

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Question for the Cafe:

Why do people always sleep with all the lights on in Korean dramas? Is it that hard to film a bedroom scene where the lights are off? It’s so weird. Also, why do people sleep in day clothes and not pajamas? And when I say day clothes, I’m talking about suits, dresses, coats, evening gowns, tuxedos,panty hose, etc. I really wonder why they do that?

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I’m pretty sure this is a question every drama lover has asked, but I’m not sure I’ve ever read an actual answer to it. My completely amateur guess is that it all stems from saving money in the budget. But I’d love to hear from someone who actually has insider knowledge about the real explanation.

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Of course! They can’t be “boyfriends” all their lives! They’re growing older, they need to have their own lives and do their own thing. I can’t speak for all groups, but I have noticed that they debut doing exactly as the company tells them, and slowly start branching out on their own and expressing their own opinions. The amount of aegyo they do also significantly lowers :roll_eyes: EXO-Ls always complain about how we never get content from EXO, but I’m glad they’re doing whatever they want and nobody is forcing them to create social media accounts and post everyday. When we get content, we get quality content, not irritating boyfriend roleplay. Can’t say the same about NCT… I really wish SM would let them BREATHE! They have content almost every single day!

But the problem is… if you don’t do something sexy/quirky/stupid/boyfriend-like, you don’t get as much screen-time or you don’t get noticed. Especially with these huge kpop groups, you have to do something to stand out so you have your own fans, too. I’ve noticed it myself— everyone knows Chanyeol and Baekhyun because they’re so funny, and Kai and Sehun because they dance so well, are supermodels, and have a lot of sexy content. Suho and Chen enjoy moderate popularity because one is the group’s leader and the other is a vocal superpower. Xiumin usually just sits quietly and lets his members speak, so you don’t notice him much. Though he is a wonderfully talented guy, he is noticed only when he has a sexy choreography or photoshoot. So that’s why I think these guys do whatever they can to be noticed.

The only exception I see is D.O. It’s really surprising to see him be the way he is. He is the most non-kpop-idol kpop-artist ever. He rarely dyes his hair; it’s almost always black and not styled all that much. All the others will have fancy, elaborate costumes and this guy will be there in the middle… the most normal looking guy ever. I’m sure you can spot him here without even knowing who he is.
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No amount of money can make him do aegyo. His nicknames include “Satansoo” because he never shies from glaring at or hitting his members if they annoy him. But he also shows his unwavering support and love for them. He always looks like that one guy who just wants to go home at award shows. :joy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLww6m06b9I
In part, I think he can be the way he is because he is popular as a good actor and vocalist. But he has his own charms. I think GOT7’s Jinyoung and BTS’s Suga are also like this. They have large, supportive fandoms without going all out or doing things they’re not comfortable doing. I’m glad for them, and I wish all artists are able to be who they want to be.

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Many of us viewers and Vikians are wondering about this as well :rofl: There is even more peculiar stuff in Kdramas you can read about in this thread :hushed:

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Now for the bit more mature audience the Taiwanese actor Tony Yang or Yang You Ning, he’s already taken :sweat_smile:, but we can enjoy watching him in Semi-Gods and Semi-Devils or The Rebel Princess :wink:

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It’s good to see EXO taking the lead and making changes in their parasocial interactions. I hope that they will be able to bring positive changes in SM Entertainment overall policies, although from what you say about NCT it will definitely take a while, which is unfortunate.
Yes, I’ve noticed that some of the K Pop stars/groups are more free to do their own thing than others. The one I’ve noticed most is Big Bang. Of course, they have been around a long time now but I watched some of their older stuff on YT and the group seems to go their own way pretty early on in their careers. For sure they are different from today’s groups as they don’t really do much choreography which seems to be very important for most of the K Pop Groups. The lack of choreo doesn’t seem to be a problem as they have large popularity regardless.
I hope that in the future we can see more of K Pop stars like Big Bang and D.O. where they are just doing their own thing and I hope that that will be the norm rather than the exception.

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Thanks for that info, @my_happy_place and @simi11. I will definitely check out that other discussion.

I enjoyed Tony Yang’s performance in Pursuit of Happiness. Nice to see he has some new dramas out. Yes, he’s so handsome!

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I think it’s because of his acting career. He can’t have an eccentric hairstyle if he has to appear in a movie or drama. He started his acting career very soon, 2 years after his debut. He’s a lead singer in EXO but he’s not a visual. They gave that position to others like Kai, Luhan or Chanyeol. That’s why he doesn’t have the best look. But for a lot of people including me, he’s the most handsome member. :heart_eyes:

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The place feels empty without @kdrama. Her hiatus seems to be until September 3. Coffee and donuts on me.

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It’s funny because these two are my favorites among EXO. My introverted, wallflower self must naturally be drawn to the same nature in them. I haven’t exactly spent much time around the Kpop scene, but I’m curious if I would also be drawn to the more wallflower-like members of other groups as well.

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